mi75

Hi vets- It's been TEN years this year since I had my surgery. I hate that I'm writing this, realizing that I became the stereotypical regain person that I NEVER pictured I would be. I had so many life events- parent death, spouse job change, personal job change, night time job, kiddo diagnosed with severe anxiety/depression, etc etc and have had some regain. Has anyone got a good 'recipe' for regain/reset? I've read multiple posts here from someone recommending 2 shakes plus 1 meal a day. Ideas? Can anyone offer some wisdom to a failed sleever?

I am SEVEN YEARS post op next week. Oh. My. Lanta!!!! How time has flown by. Feeling good, looking pretty good still working on it every single day. Where are all the long time vets at and what's your update?

I'm just about 9 years out. I have been in a struggle with regain and severe GERD. I've just recently gotten myself back on track with tracked eating and physical activity regimen. Hopefully it works.

Hi all- I'm almost EIGHT years out VSG! I can't believe how time has flown by. I have some regain and have been refocused to get it off. I joined CrossFit several years ago and really enjoyed it but I'll be honest, I suffer gym anxiety so bad that I avoid going at all. The anxiety has gotten progressively worse over the last 3 years of attending. I changed gyms and even got my husband to join but I'm suffering bad. I literally have panic attacks. The irony in this is that I'm a psych nurse practitioner and spend my days treating folks with the same sorts of issues. So I know this is actually legit. I was on YouTube one day looking at some random video, and an ad came up showing this at-home dance program that involved a group of people, and they were doing these dance/exercise routines to multiple genres of music. I sadly don't remember what the heck it was called but wondering if anyone here knows, or knows of something similar?? I'm going to be likely leaving my CrossFit gym and since I'm really trying to get back to more of a bariatric-focused program, trying to increase my aerobic activity at home. I thought something like this might be a fun option. I hope someone can direct me... Thanks!

Almost 8 yrs VSG and had severe GERD beforehand. It significantly decreased post op but I've remained on PPI medication the entire time. I was down to 1-2 total doses per week, however I had some regain over the last year and am up to THREE TIMES daily!! It's everything to do with how I carry my weight- all in my middle. While I was quite satisfied with the GERD being almost totally resolved initially, I'm fearful that even IF I lose the current regain it won't go away to the extend that it was in the past. I have been told by my bariatric team that a revision is likely the ONLY way to get the GERD to go away with 100% certainty. That sounds pretty good to me but I am quite fearful of surgery in general because I'm a nurse practitioner and we make terrible patients... I would love to know what the loss pattern was like for those who had the revision and can I plan to see awesome results? I mean, BESIDES the GERD clearing up? I am currently about 40 lbs about my ULTIMATE goal- I never reached that goal with my VSG, stopping about 12 lbs away from it...

yes planning on it. see my GI doc in a week. I haven't seen my original surgeon in 7 years- I had to switch to another clinic because of insurance purposes and will discuss with my GI doc which surgeon would be better for the revision (now that i've switched to a BCBS plan they both take).... GERD is still terrible.

I'm glad to see this topic. I had some regain in the last year as well- i was doing awesome living a ketogenic lifestyle but have completely fallen off the wagon and am going back the 'bariatric' route with strict tracking etc...

The end of 2021 is upon us! I can't believe how FAST this year went. Anyone here planning to 'get on track', 'refocus', 'reset' etc in 2022? I fell off the rails a bit in the last several months and looking to get myself back on track. I've been doing very traditional keto level eating for the last 5 years but I would really like to go back to a more traditional 'bariatric' style eating with lower fat etc. Would like to keep my carbs low but really focus on protein again and I honestly don't really remember what that would look like-having been so submerged in traditional keto for the last several years.... Anyone have any good resources for this? I never reached my ultimate goal (came within 20 lbs). Had a health scare and although it's under control I do have some weight that I would still like to move off.

I'll be 8 years out this June!! I was doing great but have struggled with a 25 lb regain over the last year since I had covid. ordered some new protein earlier this week and plan to get totally refocused over the weekend (once it arrives)! Was doing keto for the last 6 years and did great initially but have realized that I'm not losing anymore with it because my fat intake was just too high, so going back to a strict post-surgery eating plan.

Just checking in to see who is around...been about a month since I stopped by but I've spent the last several weeks getting a lot of 'stuff' done in my life so online presence has been minimal! Hope everyone is good, I just ordered some new proteins to try and help me get to the finish line that I'm still struggling to reach.

YES it is Body Groove!!!!! Thanks so much! I think i'm gonna try this out for a month and see how it goes. Looks like a lot of fun!! THANKS so much!

I actually had severe diagnosed GERD for nearly 20 years pre-surgery and took ridiculous amounts of PPI. I also had my heart set on RNY because I was under the impression that VSG wasn't an option. My surgeon gave me the choice, saying that post surgery, once I lost the weight, the GERD would go away. I chose VSG. I'm glad I did. During my surgery I also got a hiatal hernia repair and a fundoplication. Once I lost my weight the GERD was GONE. In total transparency, I've had a small amount of regain and it DID return but I'm working my way back down so meds are also gradually decreasing. The main reason I'm glad I did VSG is because I had absolutely ZERO complications, no healing issues, had no malabsorption and just felt great in general. I did eventually develop lactose intolerance, but I'm told that can happen with either surgery.

I do have excess skin, 8 years post VSG and swore I would have it all taken off. In total transparency, I had a small amount of regain so I'm focused on getting back to where I should be, but then I will be taking it off. Sadly I carry ALL my weight around my middle and so my excess skin literally looks like deflated balloon. I have different insurance than I did at the time, due to advancing my career, but the insurance I used to have would cover skin removal IF you lost 100 lbs after surgery. They're all different. I don't wear compression garments or anything but have gotten expert-level at buying the correct shirts that are billowy and flow-y so they hide it. For now..

Seven years ago today I got a second chance at life. I had multiple comorbidities and 2 organs were quite literally failing. I would have died within a couple years for sure. Surgery saved my life. Literally. I've had a great post op course. I had some regain, one of my health issues returned, I focused and got even more serious and have been on track since. What an incredible seven years I've had. Without VSG I may have very well not seen my child graduate high school this year. Or been here to support my mom when my dad died very quickly from cancer. Finished Nurse Practitioner school. Helped my husband through a complete 180 in his career. Or a million other things. What a massive gratitude I have for this surgery. I will always identify as a WLS patient. I'll never take it for granted. Yes, I'll always have to work at it (I'm unfortunately not a patient who reached goal easily and moved on) but it's worth it. My life is worth it.

BTW, to the OP, you look AWESOME!!! STRONG is the new sexy! Well done

I too LOVE CrossFit and will always love it, been doing it on/off about 3 yrs. But I'm currently on another path and going to start training with a heavy lifting trainer. Although I love the benefits (and the physique) CF can afford you, the box I attended is quite far from my home and they are actually moving even FURTHER from current location! So I'm choosing to stay closer to home and reap the benefits of lifting. I would LOVE to get as ripped as possible (but honestly still have about 20 lbs of fat to lose then tighten) and I know it may take a while. Being 46 and peri-menopausal doesn't help my efforts!

SEVEN YEARS post op and I don't regret it. Surgery quite literally saved my life. I would do it again in a blink. This is a TOOL and like any tool in your garage, you must keep it sharpened and well honed. Myself, I will always identify as a WLS patient and it is constant work every single day. I'm not one who had surgery, lost my weight, went back to eating all things in small amounts, and kept it off. I TRIED eating all things in small amounts and had BIG regain. I'm glad I did it. The only down side is that at 7 years out, there are very few of my OG forum folks still around from that long ago!!

Quest have been my go-to since pre op. HOWEVER, 1st Phorm makes a BOMB protein bar too and I use those more now. LOVE them, only problem is they are so dang good that I have to really be disciplined to not just keep eating them...

I'm happy to join in too. I'm 7 yrs post op. Had some regain at 18 months post op. Went Keto and lost regain plus some, but have fizzled out and STILL have 25 lbs to go until ultimate goal as current BMI is around 30 (need to change my profile info still). I remain on a tight diet and am essentially still keto, but I'm considering putting Keto to the back burner and focusing more on high protein-low carb-lower fat which is more of a 'bariatric' type diet long term. I am desperate to make the scale move in the next 3-4 weeks and see some good losses. I will ALWAYS identify as a bariatric patient and sadly this will be a lifelong battle for me. But I have all the tools I need. I actually just spoke to a NP today from my clinic to suggested I start FIERCE tracking which I haven't done in about 6 years.

My initial surgeon put me on a typical post op diet but it included (in my opinion) a high amount of carbohydrate. I lost a significant amount but also dealt with (SOME) regain about 1.5 yrs post op. I faced an ugly health issue. In response to that I saw another bariatric team that included a GI specialist. They put me on a VERY TIGHT ketogenic regimen and I've stuck to that for 6 years. I basically eat meat, eggs, green veg, butter/cream, fats and still have a high protein/1 carb shake with water daily. It's a tight regimen but it reversed the health issue and i lost all my regain. I honestly believe that most people facing bariatric surgery are significantly insulin resistant (whether diagnosed or not) based on our metabolic profiles. As a nurse practitioner I've done significant research on this topic. I also believe that a very low carb lifestyle is the best fit for most bariatric patients post op, and permanently....this is MY OPINION and NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Find what works for you. Maybe seek out another bariatric team. Get some feedback from metabolic specialists. You can do it!

I think many of us have had some regain in one form or another. For ALL of us, once the surgery stops working it's completely up to us. Post op 7 years next week, when I was losing I thought I was invincible and had no fear of regain. But I lost a parent, changed jobs, changed jobs again, went to night shift, went to grad school, dealt with all kinds of things, and the 'eat all things in small amounts' went out the window. I had to fully commit to a very specific PERMANENT very low carb lifestyle. I lost all my regain and more, but I have eaten only a ketogenic level lifestyle for the last 6 years. I am not one of those patients who loses their weight and can resume eating all things just in tiny amounts. I have to work at staying very low carb, no sugar, almost no fruit, no starchy veg, no bread/rice/pasta/oats/grains etc. I basically eat meat, green veg, eggs, cream/butter, and a high protein shake with water or almond milk daily. it's a tight regimen but it works for me. Remember your WHY. find it and recommit. you totally got this!

Vets- how many of you are still 'regulars' here? I still want to chat with people about being in the bariatric community, and really enjoy the support I get from forums, but it seems like there's almost NOBODY here that was here 4 years ago...

Contrave has shown good results in the trials done since it's release. It is considered safer then phentermine. If you are considering IF as an option (which I use myself) you may want to check out Dr Jason Fung, a nephrologist from Canada who is considered the foremost voice of IF.

Well I think that when people reach out for help from regain, they're looking for advice from others that experienced regain and what worked for them. Obviously not every approach works for every person but MANY here have found great success conquering their regain. For me, when I had regain and saw my bariatric team, they told me all the things that I knew they would say- do a post opt diet, go back to protein shakes, portion control, etc. A health issue required me to achieve nutritional ketosis and that's actually what helped me lose all of my regain and more. I conquered the health issue and lost my regain and have maintained over 5 yrs.

Hang in there, there's lots of us vets here who struggled with regain and DID battle back. Get back to the basics, use the support and assistance your PCP offers. I found a bariatric support group far from my town, where they didn't know me, and began attending there. It really helped too. But, in these days of COVID I'm sure the in-person support groups are numbered. Lots of us 'old' vets still around here too. We'll help all we can.